So, y'know, it's probably more of a hassle to pirate them now.
After acquiring Comixology, it's been unclear what Amazon's plans were. Now we know: "the retail giant announced a new deal last night with publisher Marvel that will allow Kindle owners to download single issues of the publisher's comics directly from Amazon's store. The deal makes more than 12,000 Marvel back issues — from Spider-Man to Star Wars — available on Kindle without requiring the use of the Comixology app." (via The Verge)

Marvel does have a $10/month subscription service, but you can only read comics that are over six months old. Amazon is reporting that comics will be availible for download in the Kindle store on the same day they're released. You won't need to leave your house to get the latest issue anymore, and you won't be avoiding spoilers for ages if you're waiting for a digital copy. This seems like it will encourage people to pick and choose which stories to follow, so hopefully there will be some guides to help newcomers pinpiont the comics they'll most want to read (12,000 is a LOT).

The timing of this feels really smart to me- what better way to encourage casual fans to become more invested in the Marvel mythos?
I'm really glad that Marvel is making their older comics more accessible, because I feel like it gives people more opportunities to learn about and love the characters. I hope older fans are going to step up and help guide the newer ones. What should everyone read first?